Homemade guacamole is easy to prepare and making it from scratch tastes so much better
In this recipe, I'll show you how to cut an avocado and prevent it from browning too quickly
I prefer to use Hass avocados because they have a soft and creamy texture
making it really easy to crush
they also have a nice nutty and slightly sweet flavor when
You're selecting avocados at the store
make sure there's no blemishes or noticeable soft spots on the surface
I have two ways that I like to check for ripeness, the first is to remove the stem
if you can't easily take it off then it's not ripe
You should be able to just remove it with your fingertips
and if it's green underneath then it's a good indication that it's ready
and if it's brown then it's going to be overripe
The second way to check for ripeness is just place the avocado in the palm of your hand
and just give it a light squeeze
If you feel that it yields to that moderate pressure then it's ripe and ready
If you find that the avocados aren't ripe and ready to use
you can place them in a paper bag with a banana or an apple
Those fruits emit an ethylene gas that's going
to speed up the ripening process which takes about one to two days
To cut the avocado make sure you remove the stem if you haven't done so already
Then starting at the stem-end,
just make a small cut until you feel the seed, and then just hold the knife steady
and rotate the avocado around using your hands and then once you get back to the stem you're done
Rotate and then you've cut them in halves lengthwise
To remove the pit, I like to place a paper towel on my hand just to steady it
Get a nice firm grip and then use the back of the knife to just give a light tap
and then just twist it and now you've lifted out the seed
Now you don't want to grab the seed because it's really slippery and you can
cut your finger so all you have to do is
just take your thumb and your pointer finger and just squeeze
and it just releases that seed out into your hand
If you don't feel comfortable holding the avocado while cutting I'll show you another method
Just place the avocado lengthwise flat on the board,
remove that stem, and then just cut into the stem down to where you feel the pit
and then hold the knife steady and just rotate the avocado
around the blade until you reach the top of the stem again
To remove the pit, if it's not too soft all you have to do is just kind
of squeeze the sides a little bit and then just pop the pit into your hand
Another way is you can use a spoon to scoop out the pit
Now we're ready to mash the avocados
I'm going to transfer two of the avocados to the bowl
Just use a spoon to scoop out as much of the pulp as possible,
season the avocados with a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
The salt is going to add a nice savory flavor as well as the coarse granules
are going to help break down the flesh while we mash it with the fork
I like this method because I can control the texture
We want to crush it until it has a smooth consistency
To add some contrast and texture, I'm going to add some diced avocados
We already have them cut in half so all you have to do is use the knife to just cut
1/2-inch thick slices and then turn the avocado and cut it into 1/2-inch thick cubes
Just scoop out the flesh, add the pieces directly to the bowl.
Just stir a few times to incorporate it together
As you can see, you have a nice variety of creaminess with some chunky pieces
If you prefer an even chunkier more rustic texture, alternatively, you can add all of
the avocados to a bowl then use a potato masher to crush it until it's all combined
As you may know when avocados are cut or mashed they begin to turn brown over time
This is due to an enzyme in the flesh called polyphenyl oxidase
When the enzyme reacts with the oxygen in the air it turns the pigment brown,
however, there are ways to slow down this reaction
Cut the limes in half down the center, place the lime cut-side down into the juicer
so that when you squeeze it, it doesn't fly into your eye
Add 3 tablespoons of lime juice to the avocado mixture, stir until everything is combined
Lime juice is not only going to give a really nice bright and citrusy flavor
but it also acts as an antioxidant
It contains vitamin c or ascorbic acid, which is going to react with the oxygen
in the air first instead of the enzymes in the flesh
This is going to slow down the rate of browning
Another way to slow down the avocados from browning is to cover it with a physical barrier,
I like to use plastic wrap
And just press it straight down so it's actually touching the pulp
You want to remove as much air pockets as possible,
this is going to keep it nice and green while we prepare the other ingredients
I like to use Roma tomatoes because they have a nice ripe
and juicy flavor with just a hint of acidity
Cut the tomato in half lengthwise using the claw so you don't cut your fingertips,
then cut it into quarters
Use the knife to cut the seeds out down to the stem
Cut the tomato into 1/4-inch thick strips, stack the slices together and cut it into 1/4-inch dice
To add some crunch and colorful pop of color into the dip I'm going to cut a red onion
Cut the root end off but make sure it stays intact so it doesn't fall apart
Turn it around and cut the other side,
place cut-side down on the board, and then cut through the root end
Remove the outer papery skin,
cut through the center lengthwise, rotate the onion, and cut into 1/8-inch thick pieces
Red onions tend to be a little bit sweeter than white or yellow but those can also be used
We want to make sure that we cut this into really fine dice
because you don't want a super-strong sulfurous taste just a little crunch
We need a 1/4 cup.
I like to give this one last rough chop so that we make sure they're even small-sized pieces
To add a little kick of heat, I'm going to use jalapeno peppers
Cut off the stem, then lengthwise down the center
just be really careful I could already smell the spice, the capsaicin
or the compounds that cause that little bit of burning and heat sensation is all
contained in this white area called the pith and the ribs
So you're going to want to carefully just remove that out
unless you like it spicy, you can keep it in
Cut the peppers lengthwise into really thin strips, turn it and mince into small pieces.
We need 1 tablespoon.
To add some fresh herbaceous notes to the dip I'm going to cut some cilantro
I like to take a bunch like this after I've washed it and then just use the blade to
cut off the leaves and then you can just pick off any leaves with your fingertips
and chop using the fanning motion, we need 1 tablespoon
To add some dimension to the really rich and creamy avocado
mixture I'm going to add some minced garlic
Just cut off both of the ends, use the side of the knife to give it a quick
smash, this helps remove the peels a lot easier
Make sure to mince it nice and fine so that you don't get
big chunks of garlic stuck in your teeth, we need 1 teaspoon
I'm going to remove the plastic wrap and as you can see it's kept the flesh nice and green
We're going to add 1/2 cup of the diced tomato,
1/4 cup of the diced red onion, 1 tablespoon of minced jalapeno
1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, and 1 teaspoon of the minced garlic.
Just stir everything together until it's combined
This is ready to serve or you can store it in the refrigerator for up to two days
I would place it in an airtight container and then just squeeze a little bit of lime juice on top
then place a piece of plastic wrap so that there's no air in between and then cover
Another option is to place the mixture in a resealable plastic bag,
squeeze out all of the air and then close it
and then place that into an airtight container. That's
going to give you an extra layer of protection
Right before serving, I like to garnish with a little bit of
freshly chopped cilantro, that adds a nice little pop of color
I'm going to serve this with some crunchy tortilla
chips but you can also use it as a topping for tacos, fajitas, or even avocado toast
If you're looking for another appetizer to share, check out my shrimp ceviche
right here, it always disappears fast
I hope you enjoyed learning the science behind guacamole and if you did
please give it a big thumbs up, it means a lot when you do
See you in the next video
This is not going to last long